Category / Spirituality

If you lead long enough and large enough, you will experience leadership breakdowns where plans unravel, people go sideways and goals are confounded. Breakdowns are an inevitable reality of leadership, even when leading in God’s name and with His favor. Though we cannot avoid all the breakdowns, we CAN learn from them and perhaps limit them.

Some leadership seasons are characterized by amazing success — we get picked, our work is praised and the waters part. These seasons of victory are a blessing, but pride is an inherent temptation. In Psalm 34:6, King David shows us how to lead with humility in a season of success.

I want to begin the new year by reflecting on what it means to lead like Jesus. I invite you to consider what we can learn about leadership specifically from His death, burial and resurrection. This is the third post in a series; you can read the first post here.

I want to begin the new year reflecting on what it means to Lead like Jesus. Specifically, I invite you to consider what we can learn about leading like Jesus from His death, burial and resurrection. This is the first of several posts I am going to write.

A commitment to excellence is not a leadership quality or ministry skill. It is a deeper, core issue. Excellence is a character issue; it is about the type of person you are and want to become. When we read what Paul wrote in Colossians 3.17 we understand excellence is also a spiritual issue. Check it out: “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him”

David gives us great spiritual leadership insight in Psalm 10:4 when He writes, “In his pride the wicked man does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God.” As spiritual leaders, we need to examine our thought-life, pursue humility and make ample room for God.

Let’s talk about loyalty. Loyalty is firm and constant support of an organization, person or cause. Disloyalty is the absence of loyalty. There is no middle ground. Loyalty survives the highs and lows that are natural for every person and organization. Disloyalty rides the highs, but bails in a low. Loyalty chases opportunities for the organization. Disloyalty chases selfish opportunities, even at the expense of the organization.

Leadership inevitably involves wrestling with insecurity.Click To Tweet Lack of clarity, team conflict, uncertainty, past failures and many other factors can undermine leadership confidence. Here is the problem: insecurity erodes our ability to be strong Kingdom leaders. Insecure leaders use people instead of serve them, obsess over the wrong things and allow fear to undermine progress.

In 1 Timothy 1:12, Paul writes, “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he has considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service.” During moments or seasons of insecurity, these three phrases of scripture can instill fresh leadership confidence.

Years ago, God asked me to say four short prayers as often as I thought of them: ‘open my eyes,’ ‘enlarge my heart,’ ‘use me’ and ‘rescue me.’ I have prayed them literally thousands of times as I go through my day, while sitting in planning meetings, counseling leaders or congregants, and even while teaching. Though short and simple, God has used each of the four prayers to help guide and grow me as a leader. In this series of posts, I’m writing in depth about each prayer. I encourage you to pick up God’s challenge to me by committing to pray each new prayer as often as you think of it. Today we will dig into the fourth: rescue me.

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Miles has served the local church as a pastor and leader for 20 years, and has been at 12Stone Church (Lawrenceville, GA) since 2001. He previously grew a college ministry to a 500-student gathering, and started the Residency Program at 12Stone. As Pastor of Leadership Expansion, Miles develops leadership not only in his immediate church context, but also coaches pastors and church leaders across the country.